The F6412E, which now becomes Xyratex's high-end RAID product, offers up to 150,000 sequential read IOPs compared to the F5412E's 75,000.
The device also offers 1,600 Mbytes/s of throughput, up from 900 Mbytes/s on the F5412E, which the exec attributes to the use of Intel's 1200 Mhz Chevelon chip.
Users looking for this performance hike will nonetheless have to dig a little deeper in their pockets. Pricing for F6412E, which is available now, starts at $7,500, compared to $5,000 for the F5412E.
In addition to the "spin-down" disk features in its software, Xyratex has also overhauled the lithium battery used in its high-end RAID system, touting the F6412E's battery as more environmentally friendly than its previous batteries.
"It's a more stable chemistry that extends the life of the battery and makes the battery much safer," says Alvarado, explaining that the battery, from A123 Systems, uses something called nanophosphate technology.